展望国际橡胶工业的发展，由于东南亚***危机，世界经济发展速度减缓，导致需求下降，世界汽车产量也有所降低，因此对橡胶制品的需求增长产生了直接影响，预计今后几年世界橡胶工业将处于缓慢发展的趋势。橡胶消耗量的增长速度约为2.7%，在这种形势下，市场竞争将更加激烈，各大橡胶公司将积极进行战略调整，增加科技投入，积极开发新型产品，革新生产技术，进一步提高国际化、集团化和***化程度，这将会进一步促进国际橡胶工业的进步。
目前轮胎和汽车橡胶专用制品在橡胶工业中销售额和耗胶量占有较大的比重，质量要求高，品种更新快，因此橡胶工业技术进步在很大程度上体现在轮胎工业和汽车专用橡胶制品的生产技术进步水平上。
目前世界橡胶工业的发展有如下的几个特点：
1、大力提高自动化生产水平，加快工业技术进步：
为促进橡胶制品，尤其是轮胎生产由劳动密集型逐步向技术密集型转变，世界排名前六大橡胶集团公司都不惜投入巨额资金研究开***胎全自动化生产技术，其中多数企业已研究成功并将这一成果投入生产。预计2015年后，这六大公司现行轮胎生产工艺装备将完全被全自动化生产工艺装备所取代。这一重大技术突破，不仅大大加速了轮胎生产由劳动密集型向技术密集型转变的步伐，而且对其它橡胶制品生产自动化水平的提高也会起推动作用。
此外，为提高生产效率，在轮胎、翻胎及胶鞋等制品生产中逐渐使用机器人作业，也是橡胶工业向自动化生产技术迈进的一个重要标志。单机生产效率的不断提高也是自动化生产水平提高的反映。各大轮胎厂家在过去几年内又将劳动生产率提高一倍以上就是明显例证。
2、轮胎子午化水平继续提高：
子午化、无内胎化、扁平化已是当今世界轮胎发展的趋势。1999年世界轮胎产量11亿条，其中85%为子午线轮胎。西欧***轮胎子午化率已达100%，美国、日本等发达***也达到90%以上，韩国为85%，拉美及原独联体***为60%。2000年全世界子午化率将超过90%，其中轿车胎基本实现子午化，载重胎子午化率也将达到60%以上。同时世界大轮胎公司的轿车子午胎都在由80、75、70系列向65、60、55、50系列发展。
3、不断开发新产品，积极开拓新应用领域和创新思路：
鉴于市场竞争日益激烈，新产品寿命周期逐渐缩短，产品更新换代速度日趋加快，各厂家对不断研究开发新产品都极为重视，以至新产品大量涌现。仅以进入90年代以来新上市的主要轮胎品种为例，就有绿色轮胎、防水滑轮胎、超高里程轮胎、超轻量化轮胎及跑气保用轮胎等，且一些大公司几乎都是同时向市场推出这些轮胎的。
为扩展橡胶制品市场，促进橡胶工业发展，近几年来一些厂家不断在开拓一些新的应用领域和创新思路。
在开拓新应用领域方面，除前些年已投放市场的非传统橡胶制品外，橡胶用于混凝土轨枕、防波堤以及汽车防撞部件等，都是近几年来新开拓的应用领域。
4、轮胎生产国际化，北美、拉美和亚洲仍是橡胶工业的******：
轮胎工业在欧美及日本等发达***属于劳动力密集型产业，工资在成本中所占比例很高。高工资带来的高成本，影响了产品的竞争能力。为此欧美一些***的轮胎公司一方面在尚未布点的***和地区新建生产点，另一方面则在布点不足或市场容量和潜力较大的国外地区新建生产点或扩大原有工厂生产能力。因此，欧美及日本等***近年来在本土的轮胎生产增长并不快，而韩国、中国台湾、马来西亚、巴西这些新兴发展中***和地区，则利用自己相对廉价的劳动力，借助于欧美、日本一些公司的技术和资金支持，以出口为导向，大力发展轮胎生产，产量逐年大幅度增加。以韩国锦湖轮胎公司、韩国轮胎株式会社、台湾正新橡胶公司为代表的一批新兴轮胎公司正迅速崛起。亚太地区已成为轮胎行业***的热点。
Looking international rubber industry, as the Asian financial cr***, the world economic slowdown, leading to a drop in demand, the world's automobile production also decreased, so the demand for rubber products had a direct impact is expected the next few years will be in the world rubber industry slow trends. Rubber c***umption growth rate of about 2.7%, in this situation, the market will become more competitive, the major rubber companies will actively make strategic adjustments to increase investment in science and technology, and actively develop new products, innovative production techniques, to further improve the international Group and professional level, this will further promote the progress of the international rubber industry.
Current tire and automotive rubber products in the rubber industry-specific sales and c***umption of rubber accounts for a larger proportion of high quality, variety update soon, so the rubber industry and technological progress is largely embodied in the tire industry and automotive rubber products dedicated production level of technological progress.
The development of the world rubber industry h***e the following characteristics:
1, and greatly enhance the level of automation, speed up industrial and technological progress:
To promote rubber products, especially tires produced by the labor-intensive to technology-intensive step by step, the world's top six Rubber Group companies hesitate to invest he***ily in research and development of fully automated tire production technology, which has studied the success of most companies and this an outcome of production. After 2015, the six existing tire production process the company will be completely equipped with fully automated production processes and equipment replaced. This major technological breakthrough, not only greatly accelerated tire production by the labor-intensive to technology-intensive pace of change, but also for other rubber products will raise the level of automation play a catalytic role.
In addition, to improve production efficiency, tires, retread tires, and rubber shoes and other products in production operati*** increasingly use robots, but also to the rubber industry towa*** automated production technology is an important symbol. Single continuous improvement of production efficiency is a reflection of increased levels of automation. Major tire manufacturers in the past few years, more than doubling of labor productivity in turn is a clear example.
2, to continue to improve the level of the tire meridian:
Radial, tubeless, flat tire is the world's development trend. 1999 World Tire Production 1.1 billion, of which 85% of the radial tire. Western European countries, the rate of radial tires has reached 100%, the United States, Japan and other developed countries more than 90%, 85% of South Korea, Latin America and the former CIS countries is 60%. Radial rate worldwide in 2000 will exceed 90%, which basically radial passenger car tire, truck tire radial rate will reach 60%. At the same time the world's largest tire company car radial tire in the 80,75,70 series to 65,60,55,50 series development.
3, and c***tantly develop new products and explore new applicati*** and innovative ideas:
Given the increasingly fierce market competition, new product life cycle gradually shortened, accelerated product replacement rate increasing, the manufacturers of continuous research and development of new products h***e attached great importance, as well as new products in large numbers. Only since the 1990s the major tire newly listed species, for example, there is the green tire, the tire slip waterproof, ultra-high mileage tires, super lightweight tires and gas-run tires, and some big companies are almost the same time to market introduction of these tires.
For the expansion of rubber products market, and promote the development of rubber industry in recent years a number of manufacturers continue to develop new applicati*** in the field and innovative ideas.
In opening up new application areas, in addition to a few years ago has been put on the market of non-traditional rubber, the rubber used in concrete sleepers, jetty and car crash parts, are new and innovative applicati*** in recent years.
4, international tire production in North America, Latin America and Asia is still the focus of investment in the rubber industry:
The tire industry in Europe, America and Japan and other developed countries are labor-intensive industries, the proportion of wages in the high cost. High-wage high costs, affecting the competitiveness of our products. To this end a number of countries in Europe and America on one hand, the tire has not yet been distribution of countries and regi***, new production sites, on the other hand in the distribution and potential lack of market capacity or larger areas of new production sites abroad or expanding existing plant capacity. Thus, Europe and Japan and other countries in recent years, local tire production growth is not fast, and South Korea, China Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, the emerging developing countries and regi***, the use of its relatively cheap labor, means Europe and America, some Japanese companies technical and financial support to export-oriented, to develop tire production, a significant increase in production year after year. Kumho Tire Company of Korea, Republic of Korea Tire Co., Ltd., Taiwan's Cheng Shin Rubber Company, represented by a number of new tire companies are rapidly emerging. Asia-Pacific region has become the tire industry investment.
